Many people are vowing to get healthy in the New Year by losing weight and changing bad habits. But the majority of those resolutions fail; primarily because they are vague and lack a real strategy. Changing your emphasis to improving performance can help you succeed this year. Enhancing performance of every cell and organ in your body is the best method for optimizing your health and well-being. Here are a few tips on how to make your New Year’s resolutions successful. read more…

Exercise training is the stimulus for gains in aerobic capacity, endurance, strength, muscle mass and power to take place. But doing that hard work alone does not guarantee the results you want. Your improvements really occur outside of your workouts, during your recovery. If you do not recover well, you won’t see the results you expect.

All activity that we undertake and all bodily functions require energy (in the form of ATP). A byproduct of that energy production and usage is the generation of free radicals that can cause oxidative stress. Energy production occurs within the mitochondria of your cells, and the mitochondria also neutralize the free radicals produced. So the number of mitochondria, and how well they function, determines how much energy you can produce and how well you can recover. As we all experience, the ability to produce energy and recover declines with age. read more…

Benjamin Franklin first stated that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. While that may be more true than not, there is another certainty we all experience during the time that we are alive; namely, aging. Technically, we begin aging from the time we are born. But those first couple of decades typically offers welcome improvements in our maturity, intellectual prowess and physical capabilities. Aging, as we commonly think about it, begins in earnest in our 30’s or 40’s. That is when hormones begin to decline and generally when we may first notice subtle changes in our appearance. At the same time diminution in our physical performance, cognitive faculties, stamina and sexual potency signals the beginning of that relentless journey downhill. Unless, of course, something is done to change that trajectory to enhance performance; which is the best method for optimizing our personal health and wellbeing, achieving our personal goals and living our lives as the best versions of ourselves. read more…

Hair plays a significant role in our society. It is associated with youthfulness and beauty in women and virility and masculinity in men. But nearly 80 million people – men and women – struggle with hair loss. True, baldness has become somewhat of a popular option for men and some embrace their baldness. But it should be no surprise that hair loss can make many men and women feel self-conscious. The causes of hair loss are varied, and include heredity, disease, hormones and stress. The good news is there are more solutions for treating hair loss than ever so nearly everyone that wants it can have a full head of hair. read more…

A little over a year ago two articles were published suggesting an increased cardiovascular risk associated with testosterone therapy. There was tremendous media hype surrounding those articles that ultimately resulted in a warning from the FDA; a warning that was premature in my opinion (see “Testosterone and Your Heart”).Looking at the same data, the European Medicines Agency concluded that there was “no consistent evidence” of increased cardiovascular risks.Other research has even indicated a protective effect of testosterone on the heart.That protective effect was recently reaffirmed in a new large scale study from the Veterans Affairs system. Although the results were provocative and striking, this study has not been met with any of the same media attention. read more…

Imagine the day when a simple blood test could identify if you are at high risk for developing cancer in the future.And, imagine that the risk could be identified far enough in advance that you could do something to reduce the risk and maybe never get that cancer.Well, that day may be closer than you think. read more…

Did you ever notice how we use the heart to describe almost everything about ourselves? It’s built into the way we talk. If you’re close to someone they’re “near to your heart.” You can want something “with all your heart.” If you say what you feel you “get to the heart of the matter.” When you’re happy and carefree you’re “young at heart,” and when you see something uplifting it “warms your heart.”You can use it to paint a picture of almost anything good, happy and inspiring.The heart is at the core of our health, wellbeing, fitness and love.Sadly, diseases of the heart are collectively also the leading cause of death among men and women in the US and worldwide.Fret not; 80-90% of heart or cardiovascular diseases are preventable. And contrary to popular beliefs, it has little to do with cholesterol or saturated fats. read more…

It is a brand new year, and many of you have resolved to make 2015 a healthier and more productive year.Changing the way you eat, exercise, and sleep along with other lifestyle choices can all impact your overall health, vitality and even longevity.Losing weight and getting fit are two of the most common New Years’ resolutions and two of the most difficult to sustain.Part of the problem is the vast amount of conflicting and often inaccurate information that is readily available.More importantly, most of the “experts” are making generalized recommendations that may or may not be what you need.Each of you is unique, and has unique requirements when it comes to fulfilling your body’s needs.Understanding exactly what your body needs can help focus your efforts which will lead to better, more consistent results. read more…

Platelets are specialized cells that circulate in a relatively low concentration in your blood.They are critical to healing injured or damaged tissue.Platelets clump together to form a blood clot at the site of damaged tissue.They also release growth factors and other cytokines that get the healing process underway by promoting tissue repair and new blood vessel formation.

Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is produced by taking your blood in a special tube and spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets and plasma from the red and white blood cells.The resulting plasma is highly concentrated with platelets and can be re-injected where healing and/or rejuvenation is needed.A key component in the healing process is increased blood flow to the area.The growth factors and cytokines released from your platelets accomplish this by dilating existing blood vessels and creating new ones via a process called angiogenesis. read more…

Like most, I consider the healthcare system in this country to be broken and getting worse. It is not uncommon for a physician to see 30-40 patients per day and to have overall responsibility for a panel of 4000 or 5000 patients.Why?Because insurance companies reimburse based on volume, not efficiency or positive experiences.Doctors must also comply with arcane rules and standards that may not translate into what is best for your health.A large part of the problem is that the consumer of healthcare services has been separated from the payer of those services.We seem to have forgotten that the true purpose of insurance is to protect against the relatively uncommon, unforeseen, expensive or catastrophic events.That is how health insurance started out.But we have now become accustomed to our health insurance covering everything, including routine primary and preventive care.The solution is to reunite the payer and consumer of healthcare services.This concept, referred to as concierge, membership, retainer, direct-pay or boutique medicine has been around for a while, but has become increasingly popular in recent years. read more…